Possessive 's: A1 Exercises

Every answer with the reason behind it. Read the explanation for the ones you got right as well — that is where you find out whether you were right for the right reason.

Multiple choice questions — answers

1. This is ___ car. (one brother) → my brother's car

One owner takes 's before the s: brother's.

2. We stayed at ___ house. (two grandparents) → my grandparents' house

A regular plural already ends in -s, so it takes only an apostrophe after it.

3. The ___ playground is behind the school. → children's

Children is an irregular plural with no -s of its own, so it takes a full 's.

4. Which phrase is correct? → the leg of the table

For things rather than living owners, English normally prefers the of-structure.

5. The dog wagged ___ tail. → its

Its is the possessive and takes no apostrophe. It's always means it is or it has.

6. Tom and Ana share a flat. It is ___ flat. → Tom and Ana's

When two people own one thing together, only the second name takes 's.

7. I took a ___ holiday in September. → week's

Time expressions take the possessive: a week's holiday, two months' notice.

8. The ___ changing room is on the left. → men's

Men is an irregular plural, so it takes a full 's.

9. Which sentence is correct? → It's a beautiful day.

Here it's is short for it is, so the apostrophe is required.

10. All the ___ results were published on Monday. → students'

Several students is a regular plural, so the apostrophe follows the -s.

11. I'm going to the ___ this afternoon. → dentist's

The noun after 's is dropped when everyone knows what it would be — the dentist's surgery.

12. ___ office is on the top floor. → The manager's

One manager, so 's before the s.

13. Which is the correct way to write it? → Both are accepted

Both James's and James' are standard for a name ending in -s. Pick one and stay consistent.

14. The ___ coats are in the cupboard. (several women) → women's

Women is an irregular plural, so it takes a full 's rather than a bare apostrophe.

15. Have you seen ___ newspaper? → today's

Today is a time expression and takes the possessive 's.

16. Tom and Ana each have a car. They are ___ cars. → Tom's and Ana's

Separate ownership needs 's on both names — the shared form would mean one car between them.

17. Which sentence is written correctly? → The cat ate its food.

Its is the possessive here, so it takes no apostrophe.

18. She handed in her essay two ___ late. → days'

Two days is a plural time expression, so the apostrophe comes after the -s.

19. ___ bag is this? → Whose

Whose asks about ownership. Who's is a contraction of who is.

20. Which phrase sounds most natural in English? → my sister's car

With a person as owner, the 's form is the natural one; the of-phrase sounds heavy and translated.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. This is Anna___ laptop, not mine. → 's

One owner with a name takes 's directly after it.

2. The two boys___ bedroom is upstairs. → '

Boys is already a regular plural ending in -s, so it takes only an apostrophe.

3. The children___ books are all over the floor. → 's

Children is an irregular plural with no -s of its own, so it needs a full 's.

4. The dog is looking for ___ ball in the garden. → its

The possessive form of it takes no apostrophe. It's would mean it is.

5. ___ raining, so take a coat. → It's

Here the phrase means it is, so the contraction with an apostrophe is correct.

6. ___ jacket is this on the chair? → Whose

Whose asks who owns something. Who's means who is.

7. I've booked two ___ holiday in October. → weeks'

Two weeks is plural, so the apostrophe goes after the -s in this time expression.

8. My ___ car is much faster than mine. (one sister) → sister's

A single owner takes 's before the s.

9. The ___ decision surprised everybody. (one company) → company's

A company behaves like a single owner and takes 's.

10. We waited outside the ___ office for an hour. (one doctor) → doctor's

One doctor, so 's — and this is also the fixed phrase for the surgery itself.

11. The ___ toys were left in the garden. (several children) → children's

Irregular plurals take a full 's because they do not end in -s already.

12. I borrowed my ___ umbrella this morning. (one flatmate) → flatmate's

One owner, so the apostrophe comes before the s.

13. The ___ voices could be heard from the street. (several neighbours) → neighbours'

A regular plural ending in -s takes only an apostrophe.

14. That is my ___ handwriting, I'd know it anywhere. (one father) → father's

One owner, so 's before the s.

15. The ___ department is closed for refurbishment. (several women) → women's

Women is irregular, so it takes a full 's rather than a bare apostrophe.

16. Have you read ___ email about the timetable? (of today) → today's

Time expressions take the possessive, exactly as people do.

17. The handle ___ the door came off in my hand. → of

A door is a thing, so English prefers the of-structure to the possessive 's.

18. Marta and Luis have bought a house. It is ___ first home together. → their

A possessive adjective is used here because the owners are already named as a pair by the pronoun.

19. I'm meeting a friend at the ___ after work. (the place hair is cut) → hairdresser's

The noun after 's is dropped for shops and services when everybody knows what it would be.

20. The ___ uniforms arrived a week late. (several students) → students'

Students is a regular plural, so the apostrophe follows the -s.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Show somebody the home belonging to one female relative. → This is my sister's flat.

Show somebody the home belonging to one female relative.

2. Say where several children left their footwear. → The children's shoes are by the door.

Say where several children left their footwear.

3. Ask who owns something you have just picked up. → Whose keys are these?

Ask who owns something you have just picked up.

4. Describe where two people you are related to live. → My parents' house is in the countryside.

Describe where two people you are related to live.

5. Identify the owner of a bike, using a name. → That is Marco's bicycle.

Identify the owner of a bike, using a name.

6. Report that an animal is missing something of its own. → The dog has lost its collar.

Report that an animal is missing something of its own.

7. Say how much time off you had and when. → I took a week's holiday in August.

Say how much time off you had and when.

8. Give directions in a sports centre, using an irregular plural. → The men's changing room is downstairs.

Give directions in a sports centre, using an irregular plural.

9. Announce an event belonging jointly to two named people. → Tom and Ana's wedding is in June.

Announce an event belonging jointly to two named people.

10. Ask about the news, using a time expression as the owner. → Have you read today's newspaper?

Ask about the news, using a time expression as the owner.

11. Say when a group of learners will hear their marks. → The students' results arrive on Monday.

Say when a group of learners will hear their marks.

12. Say what you took from somebody at work. → I borrowed my colleague's charger.

Say what you took from somebody at work.

13. Describe a problem with a building, using the of-structure. → The roof of the house needs repairing.

Describe a problem with a building, using the of-structure.

14. Explain where a relative's cooking instructions are kept. → My grandmother's recipes are in this book.

Explain where a relative's cooking instructions are kept.

15. Say where you bumped into somebody, dropping the obvious noun. → We met at the doctor's yesterday.

Say where you bumped into somebody, dropping the obvious noun.

16. Report a sporting result, using an irregular plural owner. → The women's team won the final.

Report a sporting result, using an irregular plural owner.

17. Ask whether a garment belongs to somebody's male relative. → Is this your brother's coat?

Ask whether a garment belongs to somebody's male relative.

18. Say where a business is based. → The company's offices are in Dublin.

Say where a business is based.

19. Say how long before leaving you told your employer. → I gave two months' notice at work.

Say how long before leaving you told your employer.

20. Announce a celebration, starting with the contraction of it is. → It's my friend's birthday tomorrow.

Announce a celebration, starting with the contraction of it is.